My inspiration to teach has been at the hand of many people in my life. I can still remember the great teachers I have had in the past from elementary school to college. Unfortunately I can remember the bad teachers too. Every time I had a bad teacher I would think to myself why couldn't these teachers be like the good teachers. Although I always knew that I wanted a job where I could really give back to my community and make a difference in people's lives, I was unsure of how I wanted to do this. I explored careers like early childhood education, mental health counselor, and nursing. I was a "late bloomer", and felt very confused about where I would take my future. Nursing school seemed like the right choice for a job. People always said Nursing will allow you to choose your hours, and you will always have a job. I was frightened to take science at the college level, but I decided to bite the bullet. Although I hated touching people and the sight of bodily fluids and feces, I loved the science...I wondered why? Why did I love the science?
I thought back to my science teachers in high school, and I could remember why I disliked the subject. All we did was read text and memorize, memorize and memorize. When we were not memorizing, we were mindlessly plugging numbers into equations with little to no reason. It got to me to think about these teachers. Did they just not know how to engage students, or were they teachers who really disliked the subject? I would not really get to know the answers to these questions, but they made me ask others. What made me love science at the college level? I thought about the professors I had at Rhode Island College. Professors like Dr. Magyar, my chemistry teacher who always had an open door and let every student know that despite their past experiences they could get an A in Chemistry. Physiology was another class I enjoyed with Dr. Anthony. This class had engaging labs that really helped me to bring home the subject matter at hand and see the living organisms at work.
As I remembered these teachers, several of my high school teachers came to mind. Dr. Canestrari, who was far ahead of his time, using cooperative work similar to jigsaw activities, and varying his instruction constantly to keep his students engaged. In Dr. Canestrari's History class you were thinking critically and enjoying learning, and I hated history in high school. My Algebra teacher in the 9th grade, Ms. Sullivan, was not going to let me slide by in class without challenging myself. My speech teacher Mrs. Cerra had a boisterous personality made it acceptable to speak loudly and with confidence. The last teacher I will tell you about is Mr. Brodeur who was my model of integrity. This inspiration needs a little background knowledge. My high school was tracked in groups A,B,C and D. I was placed in an "A" level English course. In the 10th grade, my teacher Mrs. Whims told me that I was not capable of "A" work, and I should be moved to a "B" English class. I proved her right that year, but then I entered Mr. Brodeur's 11th grade English class. After receiving yet another "C" on an English paper, I brought up in classroom discussion that I thought teachers were biased based on pre-conceptions of students. After the discussion Mr. Brodeur agreed to grade all of the students papers with a code name. I will never forget Mr. Brodeur for listening to our concerns and doing something about it. His open demeanor really inspires me to this day.
Once I decided I really wanted to teach, I applied to URI as a bachelor candidate for secondary education and Biology. I knew I had some science catching up to do, and I could not apply to the graduate program until winter. I took Physics as my first class back to college, and I had not taken any type of calculus class since high school. The feeling of wanting to quit came rushing over me, but a caring professor Dr. Malik encouraged me to go on. I had dynamic lecturers like Dr. Heppner. Teachers who were so passionate about their subjects like Dr. Koske, and lecturers like Professor Tammaro that make lecture halls of 150 students interactive. I have written down in the back of my notebooks ideas I have learned from them that I hope to incorporate into my teaching
As I started to think back to all of the teachers I loved in the past, it made me ask one important question. How did they make me want to learn? They all had things in common. These teachers connected with their students, held high expectations, and were passionate about their subjects. Many of these teachers believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself. I want to ignite learning fires. I want to be a teacher.
3/5 Lori Ann - This is a nice start. You should expand two or three of your influences in a series of 2-3 paragraphs and provide details of why you found them inspiring. An introduction and a conclusion will wrap things up nicely.
I thought back to my science teachers in high school, and I could remember why I disliked the subject. All we did was read text and memorize, memorize and memorize. When we were not memorizing, we were mindlessly plugging numbers into equations with little to no reason. It got to me to think about these teachers. Did they just not know how to engage students, or were they teachers who really disliked the subject? I would not really get to know the answers to these questions, but they made me ask others. What made me love science at the college level? I thought about the professors I had at Rhode Island College. Professors like Dr. Magyar, my chemistry teacher who always had an open door and let every student know that despite their past experiences they could get an A in Chemistry. Physiology was another class I enjoyed with Dr. Anthony. This class had engaging labs that really helped me to bring home the subject matter at hand and see the living organisms at work.
As I remembered these teachers, several of my high school teachers came to mind. Dr. Canestrari, who was far ahead of his time, using cooperative work similar to jigsaw activities, and varying his instruction constantly to keep his students engaged. In Dr. Canestrari's History class you were thinking critically and enjoying learning, and I hated history in high school. My Algebra teacher in the 9th grade, Ms. Sullivan, was not going to let me slide by in class without challenging myself. My speech teacher Mrs. Cerra had a boisterous personality made it acceptable to speak loudly and with confidence. The last teacher I will tell you about is Mr. Brodeur who was my model of integrity. This inspiration needs a little background knowledge. My high school was tracked in groups A,B,C and D. I was placed in an "A" level English course. In the 10th grade, my teacher Mrs. Whims told me that I was not capable of "A" work, and I should be moved to a "B" English class. I proved her right that year, but then I entered Mr. Brodeur's 11th grade English class. After receiving yet another "C" on an English paper, I brought up in classroom discussion that I thought teachers were biased based on pre-conceptions of students. After the discussion Mr. Brodeur agreed to grade all of the students papers with a code name. I will never forget Mr. Brodeur for listening to our concerns and doing something about it. His open demeanor really inspires me to this day.
Once I decided I really wanted to teach, I applied to URI as a bachelor candidate for secondary education and Biology. I knew I had some science catching up to do, and I could not apply to the graduate program until winter. I took Physics as my first class back to college, and I had not taken any type of calculus class since high school. The feeling of wanting to quit came rushing over me, but a caring professor Dr. Malik encouraged me to go on. I had dynamic lecturers like Dr. Heppner. Teachers who were so passionate about their subjects like Dr. Koske, and lecturers like Professor Tammaro that make lecture halls of 150 students interactive. I have written down in the back of my notebooks ideas I have learned from them that I hope to incorporate into my teaching
As I started to think back to all of the teachers I loved in the past, it made me ask one important question. How did they make me want to learn? They all had things in common. These teachers connected with their students, held high expectations, and were passionate about their subjects. Many of these teachers believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself. I want to ignite learning fires. I want to be a teacher.
3/5 Lori Ann - This is a nice start. You should expand two or three of your influences in a series of 2-3 paragraphs and provide details of why you found them inspiring. An introduction and a conclusion will wrap things up nicely.